Superman
“Sorry, it’s only open season on terrorists.” Superman is a hero in the DC Universe. Origin (The following is the origin presented the 1986 "Man of Steel" miniseries by artist-writer John Byrne.) When he discovered that his home world of Krypton was going to explode, young scientist Jor-El tried to warn the planet's council of scientists of the impending danger, only for his warnings to fall of deaf ears. Undeterred, Jor-El constructed a rocket that he planned to send his son, Kal-El, who was still in the birthing matrix, to Earth in a Kansas town called Smallville, in the hopes of giving his son a chance at life. In the day of Krypton's destruction, Jor-El and his wife Lara sent their son off into space while they met their demise. Landing on the farm of Jonathan and Martha Kent, Kal-El, who was now a fully grown baby, was adopted by the Kents, who named him Clark. As he grew, Clark's alien physiology caused him to slowly develop powers and abilities far beyond those ordinary humans, though neither he nor his parents were aware of his extreterrestrial heritage. When Clark was seventeen, Jonathan eventually revealed the truth to his son, and told him to use his powers in a more responsible manner. With this knowledge, Clark opted to follow his father's advice, use his powers for the benefit of others, though in secret... That is, until the near crash of an experimental space plane forced Clark to use his powers in public. Among the people he saved were reporter Lois Lane, who dubbed her enigmatic savior "Superman" . With his existence now known, Clark decided that is he was going to continue to use his powers, he'd need a disguise to do so. With help from his parents, Clark managed to create a secret identity and eventually secured a job at the Daily Planet, the same paper Lois worked for. Eventually, Clark learned the truth of his alien origins via a hologram of Jor-El, but while he appriciated the knowledge of where he came from, he still embraces his humanity. Now, whenever Metropolis, or any other part of the world, is in peril, Clark sheds his every day clothes, and goes into action as Superman, using his powers to fight for truth, justice, and freedom. Powers Thanks to living under Earth's yellow sun and weaker gravity, Superman has developed a wide range of superpowers. Due to his powers being dependent on solar energy, red sunlight drains him of his powers, orange sunlight cuts them in half, and blue sunlight greatly augments them. * Vast super strength: While his exact limit is unknown, Superman can lift an excess of well over one billion tons. It’s been shown that he has enough strength to shatter planets with individual blows.Trinity #5 Other examples of his strength include being able to turn lumps of coal into diamonds just be squeezing themAdventure Comics # 231 Adventure Comics #244, creating thunderclaps by slamming the palms of his hands togetherAction Comics (vol.2) #25, and bench pressing the weight of the planet for five days straightSuperman (vol.3) #13. * Invulnerability: Superman has been shown to be tough enough to withstand the force of an exploding starAction Comics #867, survive an explosion equivalent to 50 supernovas despite being weakened by red sunlightAction Comics #847, and swallow live grenades whole. -''Unlimited stamina: As long as Superman is consistently exposed to yellow sunlight, he posseses limitless stamina.Superman #685 -'Protective aura: Superman’s body is surrounded by a bio-electric aura that he can extend to his clothes or any person/object he may be holding onto. This aura, which he can control, contributes to his invulnerability. -''Self-sustainance'': Though he still does these, Superman doesn’t need to eat or sleep. He can also go into space or underwater without proection.Superman: World of New Krypton #3 -''Longevity'': Superman may be able to live indefinitely while aging very little or not even aging at all, so long as he’s exposed to yellow sunlight. * '''Flight and super speed: In a planetary atmosphere, Superman can fly at supersonic velocities (over two thousand mph)The Flash (vol.2) #109, while in space, he can fly at faster-than-light speedsJustice League of America (vol.2) #30, having once flown back to Earth from the Vega star (which are over 25 light years away from each other) within minutesCountdown #48. On foot, he can run at incredible speeds, though he’s nowhere near as fast as the Flash. * Heightened senses: All of Superman’s senses have been dramatically amplified. -''Telescopic and microscopic visions: Superman’s eyesight is so great that he can see his fellow Justice League members while they’re trapped on other worldsJustice League of America (vol.1). #12, or footprints in soilSuperman (vol.1) #13. -'Amplified hearing: By expanding his hearing range, Superman is able to pick up noises before the sound waves even reach him. His hearing is so acute, that he once heard fellow Justice League members Wonder Woman, the Flash, and Big Barda while they were two thousand feet underground...and he was in spaceJLA #32. He can also block out other sounds to focus on one specific sound. -''Hyper-olfaction'': Superman possesses a sense of smell so powerful that he can detect the scent of brownies being made in North Dakota while on the Justice League‘s Watchtower satellite headquarters.Superman/Batman #46 * '''X-Ray vision: An ability that enables Superman to see through any substance except lead. * Heat vision: With this power, Superman is able to fire beams of intense heat from his eyes. By controlling the temperature and scope, Superman has accomplished such feats as wiping out an army of Doomsday clonesSuperman/Batman #10, or create a thin burst centered through Manchester Black’s retina to give him a micro-concussion that impaired the growth in his brain that gives him his psychic powers.Action Comics #775 -''Super Flare: Recently, it was discovered that heat vision was a precursor of a power that allows Superman to unleash all the solar energy in his body in a massive, omnidirectional heat blast that can destroy anything within a quarter of a mile. The only catch is that he becomes powerless for 24 hours when he does this.Superman (vol. 3) # 38 * '''Thermal vision': This ability allows Superman to trail people and objects by their heat tracks.Superman (vol.2) #13 * Electromagnetic Spectrum vision: By seeing in the electromagnetic spectrum, Superman has been able to see a force field surrounding Batman by seeing in infra redThe Man of Steel # 3, or track down the Toyman and the Prankster by following the radio waves from the transmitters in their Superman action figures.Superman (vol.1) #423 * Super breath: Using just his breath, Superman is able to create either temperatures cold enough to freeze a waterspoutSuperman Unchained #2, or generate gale force wind. He can also use this power to suck in substances like poisonous gas, which he can then release a safer area, like spaceThe Man of Steel # 3. * Total recall: Superman’s memory is so great, he can recall minute details, such as reading multiple medical textbooks at super speed in order to pass a test to perform a surgerySuperman’s Girlfriend, Lois Lane #12. In DC vs. Marvel 'Opponent: 'The Hulk '''Status: '''Winner References Category:DC Heroes Category:Aliens Category:Justice League members Category:Winners Category:Kryptonians Category:Metropolis-based Heroes Category:Legion of Super-Heroes members Category:Deceased and Resurrected